Australian company Rip Curl has played an international market-leading role in the technical development of wetsuits specifically for surfers since they first entered the business in 1969. At times, their wetsuits have also followed broader fashion trends and in the early ‘80s, bold colours were king, as witnessed by this now-vintage Rip Curl suit. A short-sleeved steamer, (which Americans of the time would call “full-suits”), it features double-lined neoprene (coloured woven nylon lining inside and out), with contoured body shape, reinforced kneepads, a back zip and some pretty lairy colours.
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